Oprah Winfrey: things we learnt from her new book ‘The Path Made Clear’

Ever wondered how to navigate that complicated thing called life? Well, Auntie Oprah is here to offer all her wisdoms to ensure we're living our best lives. This is what we learnt from her new book.

I don’t know about you, but I struggle to find a single person on this planet who is not a fan of Oprah Winfrey. She is one of few people on this planet who I would consider a well-seasoned multi-hyphenate; a person who is recognised as having multiple occupations. Aside from being a talk show host, she is a producer, actress, entrepreneur and a philanthropist.

She just recently signed a multi-billion deal with tech-giant Apple to produce a killer line-up of original content for its Apple TV+ subscription service to rival Netflix and Amazon Prime. Her project consists of two documentaries, with one focusing on the toll of sexual harassment which is called Toxic Labor. The other unnamed piece explores mental health.

She has come from humble beginnings; an early traumatic life in poor rural segregated Mississipi with all the odds stacked against her. Yet, despite her challenges, she has managed to build a remarkable empire, so any advice she gives I am taking without a shadow of a doubt.

Along with her many other occupations, she is also a world-renowned author and her latest book, The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose explores the framework of creating a life of success by recognising important milestones along the way. She takes us on a personal journey of self-discovery penning several short essays on her life principles and key lessons, as well as personal stories and quotes from world-renowned figures, such as Eckhart Tolle, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ellen DeGeneres and Jay-Z.

She introduces the book making it clear that we were all born with a purpose and that we should all take life by the horns and following our own path. Here are the key takeaways:

Life is not static, we don’t have to stay in one place all the time and we should let that seed grow into something that makes us feel happy

Often we feel uncomfortable in our careers when we feel as though we are not reaching our full potential, it’s like something in our brains click. Oprah experienced just that when she was demoted from news anchor and reporter on the six o’clock news to a co-host on a Baltimore talk show. This was when she realised a seed had been planted for her to become the world’s most successful talk show host. She later went on to launch The Oprah Winfrey show which was a huge success, until she received another sign telling her to move on. Her lesson is that when you receive a sign, you should follow it. We don’t all have to stay in the same place at one time; we should let the seed grow into something that makes us happy.

Whatever your calling is rooted within you, you just have to let it grow and nurture it

When we think about the things we don’t have, our thoughts can turn negative. We might punish ourselves for not being good enough. We rush to achieve our goals rather than taking a step back to think about the journey it takes to get there. Auntie Oprah offers her take: what you focus on will manifest into greatness. Take your time. If you focus on the negative then you will miss out on the positive and happy memories in your life.

To live your best life, you have to become your best self

We pressure ourselves into putting a timeframe on the things we want to do and as a result, stress ourselves out because we are comparing our lives with others. But life isn’t as clear cut as that. We may dream to have a billion dollars and a fancy car, but do we really know ourselves? Oprah asks can we truly achieve our dreams if we don’t really know ourselves? She teaches us to that wealth and happiness will come when we look for them internally before reaching out to the rest of the world.

Follow your own path and stick to it

In the modern world, it can be easy to compare ourselves with others. With social media and the internet making a huge impact on our lives. Sometimes we worry whether we’re good enough and it can seriously harm our self-esteem. Oprah encourages take a step back to put ourselves at the forefront of our own lives, while following our own path to achieve our dreams.

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